Time to Say Goodbye
by NunziBelle
Summary: One-Shot. When a confrontation with an UnSub goes horribly wrong, Emily spends a few final moments with the man she loves, trying to save his life and thinking back on the time they spent together. WARNING: Character Death.


**Author's Note:** I feel as if I should explain myself before you guys start reading this. I was feeling REALLY angsty this week. I had a lot of crap I needed to deal with and this came as a result of it. I am really sorry for those with sensitive hearts and who cry easily. I was actually crying as I wrote this. It helped my angst though and I do feel sorta better. I guess.

**Disclaimer:** I owe nothing Criminal Minds related. That belongs to CBS and the people involved with the show. Seriously, if I owned it, JJ would still be on the show and Emily and Reid would be together. I also don't own the lyrics mentioned in this song. The name of the songs are "Con Te Partiro" and "Caruso". They are both sung by Andrea Bocelli and I highly suggest you guys go check out the tracks, they are beautiful. I'll provide translations at the end of the fiction. I hope you like the story and Reviews are always appreciated.

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_**Love begins with a smile, grows with a kiss, and ends with a teardrop. - Anonymous**_

Blood... There was so much blood all around him. She was used to seeing pools of blood around a person before. Hell, she'd seen so much worse in her line of work. But still... None had as much an effect on her as this sight. How could so much blood come fro one person? She could not understand. Also, how could so much blood come out of a person so thin? It made no sense to her as she tried desperately to stop the bleeding.

"_Did you know that the average human posses about 5.6 liters if blood in their bodies? And that a person can survive with as much as three-fourths of that amount before dying? Of course this varies based on several factors that-"_

Duh... She remembered that conversation like it was yesterday, even though they had had it a couple of months ago. Emily had wondered out loud about the amount of blood that could come out of a person while they looked over crime photos and he began. Of course only HE would know that answer and only HE would find it so interesting, while everyone else on their team would roll their eyes and beg him not to continue. She had found it interesting as well and would always remain attentive to whatever he was saying. To be honest, she wanted to know where he was going with that bit of info before he was interrupted.

That wasn't important now. Not while she was holding onto his shaking body, trying to stop the vital blood from escaping his gunshot wound. Idiot that he was, he had gone after an UnSub on his own. He had known where the young adult would be, he knew what the man had been planning all along. He could have called the rest of the team, but he knew that they would not have made it on time to stop the man. He went on his own. He thought he could reason with him. Idiot! Idiot! Now here he was, blood pouring out of him like there was no tomorrow!

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_"Happy All Hallow's Eve folks!" He had come into work with a Halloween mask on. If she had to think of a time where she'd began to have a small sort-of-crush on him, this would probably be it. It wasn't anything too serious, she just found him adorable (though her co-worker, Penelope Garcia would use the term "aDORKable" to describe him, especially on that day). His antics and his random personality made her smile everyday. It was always something different with Spencer Reid and Emily liked that about him. She listened attentively as he talked about Celtic Mythology, so eager to enlighten everyone on the wonders of Halloween. Emily, though liking Halloween as a child and teen, hadn't really though much about it until she saw Reid that day. She developed a new love for it afterwards. He really was aDORKable though..._

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"E-Em-Emily..." He was staring right up at her, his eyes clearly showing the pain he was trying to hide. Damn it all! Why him! Why did it ALWAYS have to be him? She did not understand. Emily caressed his face and shushed him. She tried to comfort him as she waited for the Ambulance to arrive. She tried to position herself so that she could cradle his head while keeping her hand on his wound, but it was proving to be more difficult than she originally thought.

Emily had been the last of the team to leave the precinct in Memphis, Tennessee. She had just left the police station and was driving to meet up with the others when she had gotten the call from Garcia. Their little genius had figured something out that no one else had caught onto... Obviously. Emily was about to call the others when Garcia told her that Reid had already left the station and was heading to the location on his own. Emily did not remember pulling a 180 on the road, nor could she remember speeding like a mad woman to try and catch Reid before he did anything stupid. Garcia had given her the info on where Reid was headed and would inform the others on his inherent stupidity... Why was it ALWAYS him?

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_"Emily, cover me!" Before she could react, she felt Reid's gun in her hands. It felt so foreign to her and she froze on the spot, while holding the revolver in her hands. He told her not to shoot as he headed towards the very heavily armed Owen Savage. Emily had tried calling out to him, but to no avail. Her shouts fell upon Reid's deaf ears. As she watched him walk away, she remained crouched near the police station, gripping the gun as if it were some sort of security blanket. Emily felt her heart beating a mile a minute as Owen Savage kept his machine gun pointed at what she considered to be the biggest paradox known to man. She could not fathom how someone who was provably a genius could be so stupid! He was risking not only his life, but the lives of everyone around him as he did this. Did he think his life didn't matter? Was that it? No, it was obvious that he had felt a connection to Owen. Emily didn't believe in religion, not since she was 15, but she never prayed as much as she did that day. Please God, spare this idiot... Please... Please... Pl-... Savage placed the gun on the ground! Emily let out a breath. Reid would be ok! He would live to be a random idiot for another day! _

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His coughing brought Emily back from her momentary flash back. Oh God! Now blood was lining the edge of his mouth as he coughed. That wasn't a good thing. Emily tried to calm him down as he tried to tell her something. "Ste-Stev-..." She looked to the body next to Reid. Alex Stevens, the UnSub in this case. He'd been a 23 year old mess of a person. He had spent most of his life trying to take care of an alcoholic mother, with no father in the picture. At the age of 14, he had been transferred into foster care, which had not gone well at all for young Alex. It seemed that he had found love in the form of Katherine Shepard, but it didn't last long. She blamed him for losing her job and broke it off with him. That break up had been the stressor and he had begun to murder girls that looked like her. Tall, blonde hair, and deep brown eyes.

The team had figured out that Alex's last stand would involve going after Katherine. The team had been on their way to Katherine's house, leaving Reid at the police station. He had, in a similar manner to Owen Savage, had refused to be there when the suspect was apprehended. He knew that it would not go well at all and that Stevens would most likely go down shooting. Garcia had told Emily that Reid figured out that Stevens would have planned his final stand from the beginning. He was a street smart guy and he knew that the FBI was on his case. He would not walk right into a trap, but instead lead them to him. Reid figured out that Stevens would have already taken Katherine to his hideout, which was an old shack his mother used to own. By the time Emily had reached the UnSub's hideout, she was able to catch Reid falling to the ground as a shot hit him in the chest. Emily wasted no time in shooting Sevens several times, killing him instantly. Katherine, who was tied up in the corner, was soon rescued by Emily, who told her to wait in the bedroom until the other FBI agents got there. Emily then called an ambulance as she went to tend to Reid. He was still alive as she called for help. She may have also called Hotch or Morgan, but looking back now, it all seemed like one big, horrible blur.

And that's where they were now. Emily was trying to keep the bleeding under control while they waited. The blood just kept flowing, as if it were taunting her. _"I don't think so Agent Prentiss. You can't save him."_ Reid asked about the UnSub and began apologizing to her. Typical Reid. He connected with Stevens, knowing what it was like to have to care for a sick mother with no other means of help or support. He knew what it was like to be constantly mistreated and judged. Reid didn't want to shoot the UnSub, the missing holster told her that. She shook her head as tears began to form in her eyes. She didn't notice that they had begun to flow down her face. She should have stayed with him at the police station. She should have made sure that he made the right choice and left the negotiations to the others. She could have driven faster, gotten to the shack faster, maybe things would have been different. She felt her hand being squeezed and she sobbed some more. A weak smile grazed the lips of her coworker... Her friend... Her lover...

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_They laid there together, tangled up in Reid's bedsheets. Her raven hair was spread out across Reid's pale chest, making a beautiful contrast of black and white... Light and Dark... Ying and Yang. Neither one of them knew how this had happened, but they were happy that it did. Maybe it was the reaction from the stressful situation they had just gotten themselves out of in Colorado. They had only hours ago, arrived back in DC. Emily had given Reid a lift back home, even though Hotch had tried to convince her to let the others from the team drive the two Agents home. Emily was tough, she did not want to be treated like a delicate doll. She was fine to drive both herself and Reid back. Besides, she wanted to make sure for herself that he got home alright. _

_ They said nothing to each other as she drove. He stared out the window at the passing buildings, and she tried to focus on the road up ahead, blocking everything else from her mind. Reid only spoke to her once they arrived at his apartment building. He had turned to her, asking her if she would like to come up for a little bit, for some coffee or something. She could have gone home, but something told her that Reid needed to talk to her and this was his 'Reid-Way' of letting her know that. When they got inside, he just stared at her, trying to find something, a missing piece to her puzzle. _

_ "You know, you're really good at lying. I'm surprised Hotch didn't catch anything." That was how it began. Emily had given him a questioning look and asked him when he meant by that and soon enough the arguing had began. He was snarky with her, telling her that she was not fooling him and that he knew she was not alright. She was far from alright, as was he. He accused her of hiding her emotions from him. She responded by telling him that he had no idea what he was talking about (ironically mimicking the way he had yelled at her a couple of years ago). The argument lasted for almost a couple of hours and was drawing to a close when Emily yelled that Reid NO idea just how valuable he was. _

"_Yeah... You're one to talk", was his response. It was quiet and she almost missed it. But she caught, it was out, which lead to more arguing and more revelations. Before either one of them knew it, they were in each other's arms planting kisses on each small area of their bodies. The kissing lead to the bed, which lead to one of the most amazing nights Emily Prentiss ever had. That would not be the last time they slept together. Actually, from that moment on, they had become an honest-to-God couple. They were an incredibly secret couple, but a couple nonetheless. _

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He moaned again and Emily began to wonder what the hell was taking the ambulance so long to get there. How much time had passed since she had found him bleeding on the floor? It felt as if hours had passed. As if he could read her minds, she heard Reid mumbling.

"Been... T-ten minutes..." Emily could not help but laugh at him as he told her how long it had been, with that smart-ass smile of his. God, he had to make it out of this. She needed him to pull through this. Her cell phone rang... Morgan. _Damn it!_ Did she forget to call the rest of the team? She could have sworn she called them to tell them what had happened. She remembered calling Garcia and the ambulance, but DID she call Hotch or Morgan? Morgan's worried tone affirmed that she did indeed call them to tell them about Reid's latest act of Stupid. Morgan asked her how Reid was doing and Emily, trying to remain calm and collected, told him that they were still waiting for the ambulance to arrive. "T-Tell... Been through... w-worse" Emily gently shushed Reid and told him to save his energy, while moving some strands of hair form his face. She then whispered to Morgan, voice betraying her worried feelings, "He's... not doing so well". Morgan told her to keep him awake and that they'd be there soon. Emily nodded and tried to ignore the tears in her eyes as she hung up the cell phone. She continued to try and help Reid as much as she could, all the while repeating the mantra in her head. _He's been through worse, he's been through worse..._

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_He got the cure several hours ago. He was fine now. So, why was he STILL so pale when she came to visit him. 'Because he almost died Emily! Duh!' She thought. She had offered to stay with him through the night so that Morgan could get some sleep and recharge his batteries. Morgan had rejected at first, not wanting to let Reid out of his sight again, but after A LOT of arguing he had finally conceded and allowed Emily to take vigil next to Reid's bed. The younger agent had been asleep when the two had done their exchange. That had been almost two hours ago and he was still fast asleep. Emily sat next to his sleeping form, hand grasping his limp one. As she held onto his hand, she was not afraid to let her tears flow from her eyes. There was no one around this late at night, so she did not care. She had nothing to hide. Soon enough, the flowing tears turned to quiet sobbing as she began to cry. She could have lost him. Funny, random, aDORKable Spencer! He almost died. In fact, if they hadn't gotten him the cure on time, he could have died. The reality that she could have lost him, the man she was falling in love with, was too painful for Emily to bear. A weak, raspy voice was what stopped her crying. She looked up to see Reid's concerned face looking at her. He had only seen her cry once before, when her dear friend, Matthew, died. Emily tried to frantically wipe the tears away from her face. Spencer slowly moved a little on the bed and patted down on the space next to him. Emily lay down next to him and continued to cry softly as she held onto him. Reid held onto her as well. He ran his fingers through her hair and kissed the top of her head, whispering that it was alright. It would be ok. He was ok. Emily continued to cry, never letting him go. _

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Emily wanted to believe that Reid would make it out of here. That he would give her another smart-ass smile as he gave her a random statistic. She wanted to believe that he'd be ok, but to be honest it didn't look good. He was dying and no help was coming! The stupid medics should have been here by now! A Federal Agent was dying and they were wasting their time! They were wasting time that was essential to Reid's survival. Emily continued to cry, realizing that Her Spencer's time was running out. Reid grasped onto her hand, the one that was over his wound. He tried to pull it away, somehow knowing that it was futile at this point. "Rush... hour... 30 minutes..." He grimaced as he spoke. It was painful for him to even speak. Emily gently pressed two fingers to Reid's mouth, silencing him. She felt him smile under her fingers. He wanted to keep giving her statistics, maybe to ignore the fact that he was dying. To lighten the mood maybe? God, was she seriously profiling him? Now?

Reid moved his hand from Emily's and up to her face, wiping away the tears the would not flowing down Emily's face. He the traced the outline of her lips. He smiled up at her, about to ask her for one last thing.

"Em... one more... k-..." He couldn't finish as some more pain shot through his body. Emily sobbed some more. No! This was not the end! This could not be the end! The EMTs would arrive soon and Spencer would be alright! Emily shook her head and took his face in the hand that was not trying to keep his blood from flowing any further.

"No! Reid... No... I'll kiss you as much as you want at the hospital... Damn it! You will not die on me, alright? You need to survive so that I can yell at your stupidity! P-please, Sp-Spencer, don't die on me..." Emily could feel the tears on Reid's face as he sobbed softly. He didn't want to leave her, he loved her. He was trying so hard to fight to live. But he knew that though the EMTs were rushing as fast as they could to get to them, the traffic in Memphis at this time, not to mention it was tourist season and more people were around than normal. They wouldn't arrive for a while. Reid looked into Emily's beautiful brown eyes. Eyes that revealed the depths of her soul, even though she tried to hide it from the world. Eyes that displayed a strength he never knew before, but also an innocence that only came out when they were together, either while laying in bed, or while they holding each other basking in the sweet serenity. His own hazel eyes were pleading with her to let him go. He wasn't afraid to die, not anymore. He used to be afraid of dying, especially of dying alone. But, Emily was holding him close to her. He could feel the blood rush through her veins as his own blood was flowing out. She was here with him, he could let go and not be afraid. There was no other way in which he wanted to die, than to die in Emily Prentiss' arms.

"Tu, mia luna, tu sei qui con me..." Those words uttered from his mouth, caused Emily to break down once more. That was their song... He wanted her to let him go. He needed her to let him go. Emily held onto him for dear life. Could she let him go?

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_They were at Reid's place. He was making her supper after a difficult case. They were seated on the couch, just enjoying each other's company and listening to the music that Reid had mixed onto a CD. Emily had made a joke earlier, saying that she was shocked that Reid knew about modern technology. Reid retorted that he could handle burning CDs, but to keep things like MP3s and BluRay away from him, for his brain may explode. That smirk told her that he was messing with her. God she loved his sense of humor. She then turned her attentions to the music playing. Up until now, it was a basic mix of Classical music, with some Pavarotti and Domingo. The next song was a song that meant a lot to her. It was Andrea Bocelli's rendition of "Con Te Partiro". Emily loved the music of Andrea Bocelli, especially since she had joined the BAU. She found that his music helped to soothe her after a tough case. She had told that to Reid one day... A long time ago actually. Emily looked over to Reid._

"_Andrea Bocelli... This is my favorite song." A smile graced his lips. He got up from his seat, slowly, seeing as he had JUST stopped needing to use his crutches. He held out his hand to her, beckoning her to get up with him. Emily raised one of her eyebrows and she smiled up at him. She got up from her seat and gave Reid her hand. In a move that would have had anyone shocked, Reid pulled her close to him and gently placed his hand on her waist. They slowly danced together, Emily eventually leaning her head on his chest. She began to softly sing the song, Reid joining her soon afterwards._

"_Tu, mia luna, tu sei qui con me..."_

"_Mio sole, to sei qui con me, con me, con me, con me..."_

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It was time to let him go, as much as she did not want to. He was dying and if she didn't act soon, he would die without her giving one last kiss. She gasped out a sob and finally let go of his chest, finally realizing that it was hopeless. She gently held onto to his and stared deep into his eyes, one last time. She wanted to remember how beautiful they were. How innocent, yet wise they were. They were exactly like Reid, a living contradiction. She would always love that about him. She would never forget him, ever. She whispered softly to him as she looked him over.

"Mio sole, tu sei qui con me..."

She then placed a soft kiss upon his lips. One of her hands moved to Reid's and grasped onto it. She could feel Reid's hand tighten around hers as the kiss deepened. Emily could feel both her tears and Reid's mixing together and falling in unison as they both relished their final moments together. So brief. So precious. She could feel Reid slipping away. It was crazy, but she could feel his life ending. Her heart felt like it was losing a piece of itself while she was feeling her Love slip away from her.

When the tight grasp around her hand went limp, she knew it was over. Emily let go of Reid's hand and lifted her head to a sitting position. She then pulled her lover onto her lap and held onto him as she cried. She kept hold of Reid's head as she cried. It was over... He was gone...

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_Emily was strapping on her Kevlar vest, along with Hotch, Morgan, and Rossi. They would be heading over to Katherine Shepherd's apartment. They believed that Alex Steven's would be there. Reid was the only one without a Kevlar vest, because he would be staying at the police station. He did not want to see someone, whom he had connected with, shot dead. He knew how this would end. Stevens would go down in a hail of bullets. Reid wanted no part of this. The team understood and let him be. _

_ Emily told the others that she would be there in a second and for them to go ahead. She needed to do one last thing before leaving. Hotch nodded and left with the others. When she was sure that they were gone, Emily went over to Reid, who was sitting on the edge of one of the desks. Emily slowly grabbed his hand, and had her other hand run through his short hair. Reid got up from where he was sitting and held Emily in his arms. Since they started being intimate with each other and dating, the danger of their job became all the more real for them. They made it a point to take a few seconds away from the others, before apprehending an UnSub, to hold each other and enjoy the time they had together. It was uncharacteristic for both Reid and Prentiss, but it was something they both needed to do, and this time was no different. Reid held onto Emily for dear life and kissed the top of her head, something she always enjoyed from him. _

"_See you when you get back." Emily nodded sadly. She knew how Reid felt about this case. This had been a hard one for him. She would make to not shoot the UnSub, unless one of the others was in danger. She gave Reid a small smile._

"_Of course. Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone." Reid laughed casually at Emily's remark. He leaned down and kissed her softly on her lips feeling her smiling beneath his lips. He then whispered into them, "te voglio bene, sai?"_

_Emily kept the smile on her face as she eased away from his grasp. "Ma, tanto, tanto, bene, sai", she replied as she walked away from him. Emily was glad that for once in her life she had someone who understood her... Good parts and bad. _

_**Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation. - Kahlil Gibran**_

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**Translations:** "You, my moon, you are here with me"; "My sun, you are here with me, with me, with me, with me"; "I love you so much, you know?"; "So very very much, you know."


End file.
